When data is read into Spotfire which includes special character such as μ (Mu or Micro) or ¹ (Super Script 1) and then used on input from Spotfire to Statistica, the data is read by Statistica as a ? character (question mark).  In other words, Statistica cannot translate these types of characters but instead places a ? for any special character it cannot translate.

For example, below is data loaded into Spotfire from a SBDF data file has special characters not seen on a typical keyboard:




When a Statistica Data Function is used to pass data from Spotfire to Statistica (used as input) and then the data is returned back to Spotfire (used as output) we see ? in place of these special characters: 



 

OS: Windows

Part 1 -  Spotfire - Use Spotfire RXReplace function to add a calculated column with html encoding

1.  In the data canvas, go to Data>>Add Calculated column...:



2.  Add the expression using the RXREPLACE, with the Test_Method as the column:




Text of the expression:
RXReplace(RXReplace(RXReplace(RXReplace([Test_Method],"µ","%micro","g"),"º","%deg","g"),"²","%sup2","g"),"¹","%sup1","g")


3.  Click the OK button and the calculated column will be added and the additional column will appear with the corresponding encoding:




Part 2 - Statistica - The workspace used as a Statistica Data Function uses the RE_REPLACE function

1.  Create a workspace to include a spreadsheet and a Transformations of Variables node

      a.  Spreadsheet:




      b.   Transformation of Variables node:



Text of the formulas:
Test_Method=RE_REPLACE(RE_REPLACE(RE_REPLACE(RE_REPLACE(Test_Method_Encode,"%micro","µ","g"),"%deg","º","g"),"%sup1","¹","g"),"%sup2","²","g")
temperature_offset=RE_REPLACE(RE_REPLACE(RE_REPLACE(RE_REPLACE("temperature offset_Encode","%micro","µ","g"),"%deg","º","g"),"%sup1","¹","g"),"%sup2","²","g")



Part 3 - Register and configure the Statistica workspace as a Statistica Data Function

1.  Add the data function to Spotfire Analyst:





2.  Configure the data function's definition:  

   a.  Input Definition:



b.  Output Definition:





3.  Edit the data function parameters:

   a.  Input:



   b.  Output:



4.  Run the data function and view the output.  The output, below, shows the html code translated to the associated special character:



Note:  Attached, at the bottom, is the DXP shown in this example (SpecialCharacters Translation.dxp).  

Special characters used with Statistica Data Functions (in Statistica these are Statistica Workspaces) are changed to '?' which renders the data unknowable.

ASCII to HTML encoding:
https://www.ee.ucl.ac.uk/~mflanaga/java/HTMLandASCIItableC1.html

ASCII codes
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-ascii-or-unicode-latin-based-symbols-and-characters-d13f58d3-7bcb-44a7-a4d5-972ee12e50e0

Statistica's RE_REPLACE formula
https://docs.tibco.com/pub/stat/14.1.0/doc/html/UserGuide/Default.htm#5-working-with-spreadsheets/spreadsheet-formulas-regular-expression-functions.htm?Highlight=re_replace

Spotfire's RXReplace function
https://support.tibco.com/s/article/Tibco-KnowledgeArticle-Article-43748

HTML coding for characters:
https://reeddesign.co.uk/test/character-entities.html